Mubarak retrial to increase pressure on Mursi

Date: January 15 2013

Abdel Latif Wahba, Tarek El-Tablawy

CAIRO: An Egyptian appeals court on Sunday overturned life sentences handed down against the ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his security chief, ordering them retried in connection with the deaths of 850 protesters in 2011.

Judge Ahmed Abdel-Rahman also ordered six security officials retried on the same grounds after they had been acquitted by the court that sentenced Mubarak and the former interior minister Habib El-Adly in June. The decision comes two weeks before the second anniversary of the start of the 2011 revolution.

The verdict will put pressure on the President, Mohammed Mursi, to show he is following through on promises to hold the former regime accountable, said Mohamed Adel, co-founder of the April 6 group, which helped to spearhead the protests that marked the revolt. Egypt has been struggling to revive its economy and secure a measure of political stability amid tensions between secularists and Dr Mursi's Islamist government.

''The ruling will spark popular anger and help mobilise people for mass protests'' on the anniversary of the uprising, said Mr Adel. ''When Mursi promised retrials of former regime figures, we thought he meant putting more figures on trial and achieving justice.''

Supporters of Mubarak broke out into loud cheers after the verdict was read. Some of Mubarak's backers headed to the military hospital where he is being held to offer their congratulations, the Ahram Gate website reported.

Dr Mursi, who was elected at the end of June, was fielded for the presidency by the Muslim Brotherhood. In the past few weeks, several of Mubarak's advisers have been acquitted or ordered retried.

His sons, Alaa and Gamal, were also ordered retried on corruption charges after being acquitted.

Bloomberg

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